Legacy news, February 2013

1
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
Legacy News
February 2013
sdsmt.edu
Graduating students at the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology enjoyed a
$6,000 starting salary increase in 2012
compared to the year before, with an
annual offer averaging $62,696.
New figures released by the School of
Mines’ Career and Professional
Development Center reflect bachelor of
science degree graduates self-reporting.
In September the School of Mines made
national headlines when Bloomberg News
cited PayScale Inc.’s annual report, which
indicated SDSM&T graduates earned a
higher starting salary than
Harvard’s–$56,700 for Mines graduates
and $54,100 for Harvard’s–at about a
fourth of the cost to attend.
“These newest salary figures prove that
the high quality of education we offer at
the South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology is recognized by employers.
We prepare our students to be industry
innovators and leaders of tomorrow, all
the while offering a great return on
investment,” said SDSM&T Acting President
Duane Hrncir.
The current total estimated cost per year,
including tuition, fees, room and board,
is $15,300 for South Dakota students and
$17,245 for out-of-state students. Last fall
SDSM&T enrolled 2,424 students, a 5
percent growth from the previous year.
The most up-to-date placement figures
indicate 98 percent of graduates either
found employment in their field of study
or advanced to pursue a master’s degree.
The School of Mines offers highly
specialized programs in science,
engineering, technology and math with
16 bachelor’s degrees, 14 master’s degrees
and seven Ph.Ds.
Starting salaries
top $62,000
The South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology and Nexus USA have partnered
on a cutting-edge biometrics program, which
researchers hope will one day lead to a cashless
– and more secure – society.
The program makes Mines the first in the world
to test life as a biometrics campus using foil-proof
Biocryptology® that goes beyond a
fingerprint to read multiple layers into the
skin and detect hemoglobin in the blood.
Patented technology on the back end turns
each finger scan into a series of valueless
numbers that change every time the finger is
introduced. Data encryption ensures security,
as the numbers can’t be reproduced in a
meaningful way, not by merchants, law
enforcement, hackers or even Nexus.
The Nexus Smart Pay pilot program at the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
is being tested by 50 students and four faculty
members at two locations on campus.
Consumers deposit money into an account,
with which they associate their biometric data.
Mines students and faculty members pay for
goods with a simple finger scan, no cash,
credit, debit or ID cards or pin codes necessary.
Testing life as a
biometrics campus
Biocryptology®, in part, reads several layers
deep into the skin using radio frequency. The
technology can be applied to other
applications, including physical and logical
access. It also protects against identity theft,
as fewer forms of identification are needed to
be carried on a person and the system operates
in a highly secure, closed and uniquely
encrypted environment.
“Advancing technology to transform lives is
what we do at the School of Mines, and we
are proud to be not only the first university
but indeed the first organization of any kind
in the world to pilot this groundbreaking
program,” said Acting President Duane Hrncir,
Ph.D. “We are excited about being on the front
end of this technology. It’s a natural fit for us
to partner with Nexus USA and Hanscan.”
Nexus USA is a subsidiary of Spanish-based
Hanscan Identity Management, which is
owned by entrepreneur and oil tycoon Klaas
Zwart, also a Formula 1 enthusiast who has
built his own racing resort in Marbella, Spain.
Zwart visited the SDSM&T campus in
September, spending time with the Mines’
Continued to page 7
2
Anna Balazs announced as 2013 Mines Medalist
Anna Balazs, a pioneer in the area of predicting
the behavior of complex polymeric materials
through her theoretical predictions, has been
named 2013 Mines Medalist by the South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
Balazs, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of
Chemical Engineering at the University of
Pittsburgh, whose area of expertise is
theoretical and computational modeling of
polymer blends and composites. She is
recognized as a trend-setting researcher who
developed powerful, compre-hensive
computer models to predict the behavior of
nanocomposites. These studies provided
critically needed guidelines for creating high
performance materials formed from polymers
and nanoparticles.
She becomes the fifth Mines Medalist to be
named by the South Dakota School of Mines
& Technology, which founded the national
award in 2009 to recognize scientists and
engineers who have demonstrated exceptional
leadership and innovation.
Dr. Balazs’ research has significant impact on
the scientific world. She leads a team that
predicted the behavior of Belousov-
Zhabotinsky (BZ) gels, a gel with far-reaching
applications “such as artificial skin that could
be sensory – a holy grail in robotics,” she said.
“The research being conducted by Anna Balazs
has the power to transform lives, and we are
excited to name such a distinguished
researcher as our 2013 Mines Medalist,” said
Mines Acting President Duane Hrncir, Ph.D.
Her group developed the first computational
model to describe large scale deformations
and shape changes in chemo-responsive
polymer gels. She has also made significant
contributions to the area of self-healing
materials and has collaborated with
experimentalists at the McGowan Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.
The materials and modeling methods being
produced as a result of her work are far-reaching,
with her research focusing on a very
diverse spectrum of systems, including
nanocomposites, self-oscillating gels, self-healing
materials and polymeric microcapsules.
Dr. Balazs’ work focuses on developing
theoretical and computational models to
capture the behavior of polymer blends,
nanocomposites, complex fluids and colloidal
systems, work that is “crucial to develop
predictive models for the behavior” of
designing advanced materials, according to
one of her nominators Steven R. Little, Ph.D.,
chair of Pittsburgh’s Department of Chemical
and Petroleum Engineering.
“It is in this area that Balazs and her research
group have made fundamentally important
and unique contributions, which are allowing
scientists to understand how choices made
Student art pays tribute to late
President Wharton
Though best known for their scientific and engineering endeavors, Mines students have
showcased their artistic talents and paid tribute to the late President Robert A. Wharton in
a mammoth Classroom Building display.
A 5-foot by 8-foot charcoal drawing hangs from the third floor east stairwell ceiling and
portrays the late president scaling Antarctica’s glacial peaks in fearless scientific pursuit, a
radiant smile illuminating his face.
The collaborative result is composed of tile squares composed in Art 111, Drawing and
Perception, led by Deborah Mitchell, Apex Gallery director and associate professor in the
Department of Humanities.
at the molecular level affect the macroscopic
performance of the system.” Little called her
work “theoretically elegant and applicable to
real materials of industrial relevance.”
She has been a fellow in the Royal Society of
Chemistry; a senior visiting fellow at Oxford
Center for Advanced Materials and Composites
and Materials Science Department (Oxford
University); visiting fellow at Corpus Christi
College, Oxford University; and a fellow with
the American Physical Society.
Her work has been published in Science, Nature
and numerous other publications and has
been described in popular media outlets such
as The Economist and Science News.
Dr. Balazs says she feels “extremely honored
to be inducted into a group that includes such
illustrious awardees.”
Previous Medalists include Dr. Diana Wall, 2012
recipient and University Distinguished
Professor and director of the School of Global
Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State
University; Dr. Lee Rybeck Lynd, 2011 recipient
and professor of engineering and adjunct
professor of biology and earth science at
Dartmouth College; Steven Squyres, 2010
recipient and Cornell University astronomer
and principal scientist for NASA’s Mars
Exploration Rover missions; and Dr. Cindy Van
Dover, 2009 recipient and chair and professor
of Duke University’s Division of Marine Sciences
and Conservation and director of the Duke
University Marine Laboratory.
She will be presented the next Mines Medal
during the Oct. 3, 2013, Mines Medal Dinner
and Award Ceremony to be held at the
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
3
RESPEC Consulting & Services has committed
to donating $250,000 over five years to the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology’s
research efforts. The first RESPEC
Undergraduate Research Grant Program award
will be granted for the next academic year.
A Rapid City company founded in 1969 by five
School of Mines professors, RESPEC has grown
to become an acclaimed national leader in
mining and energy, water and natural
resources, and information technologies. It
has eight other offices in the United States
and annual revenues of more than $25 million.
“We are eager to work with SDSM&T to make
this program a reality. We are absolutely
committed to the School of Mines in shaping
a signature program for advancing research,
and we are hopeful it will encourage other
similar private and industrial partnerships
with the university in the future,” said Todd
Kenner, RESPEC president and chief executive
officer and Mines alumnus.
RESPEC has committed to match employee
donations up to a combined total of $50,000
per year for five years. A portion of the funds
will be used immediately to support research,
and the remainder will be endowed for the
same purpose. Endowments allow the principal
to be invested with the earnings funding the
annual awards, thus enabling the fund to
continue in perpetuity. Twenty-four School of
Mines alumni employed by RESPEC have
already stepped up to support this initiative,
and projects will be considered in early 2013
with research beginning in the fall of 2013.
“We are grateful these alumni are investing
in their alma mater by ‘giving back’, and
pleased, and appreciative of the generous
commitment from RESPEC. It is creative
collaborations like this that will not only
provide meaningful research opportunities
for our students but also help the university
realize our commitment to deliver academic
and research programs of excellence,” said
Acting President Duane Hrncir, Ph.D.
The university and RESPEC have worked
together on numerous projects over the past
43 years, with the School of Mines “providing
a link to the tremendous talent that we have
working for us today,” said Lance Roberts,
Ph.D., RESPEC vice president of mining and
energy, alumnus and former Mines faculty
member. “With this grant, RESPEC will support
the engineering and science leadership of
tomorrow while advancing the university’s
research mission in complementary areas.”
After its establishment by School of Mines
professors with backgrounds in civil, electrical,
mechanical, mining and geological
engineering, RESPEC built a reputation for
expertise in geomechanics, numerical
modeling, heat transfer and fluid flow to solve
problems in mining and civil engineering.
In the 1980s, RESPEC developed a world-class
materials testing laboratory for the analysis
of core samples from proposed sites for nuclear
waste repositories. Meanwhile, it was also
quickly advancing to the forefront in
information technologies and computers. In
the 1990s, with rapidly expanding expertise,
RESPEC divided into three business areas –
engineering, information technologies and
environmental, which is now known as the
Water and Natural Resources Division.
RESPEC leaders have continued their
involvement with the School of Mines by
serving on the Alumni Association Board, the
SDSM&T Foundation, the University Advisory
Board, and various department industrial
advisory boards. They’ve partnered with the
university on other key projects involving the
South Dakota Department of Natural
Resources, the Sanford Underground Research
Facility, the South Dakota Department of
Transportation and the Department of Energy.
The company counts more than 45 Mines
graduates hired since 1972, with 33 alumni
currently employed by RESPEC. Five Mines
alumni serve on RESPEC’s Board of Directors.
RESPEC commits $250,000
to research efforts
Children are often
taught technology
and art are mutually
exclusive. You’re
right brained or left.
Einstein or Picasso.
An artist or an
engineer. In reality,
and throughout
history, the two are
more intimately
entwined: both
expressions of
i m a g i n a t i o n ,
creativity and
human ingenuity;
both, explorations of the unknown.
Propelled by this ethos, Mines students
partnered with the Dahl Arts Center on a
project aimed at engaging and exciting the
next generation about the interfacing of
science, engineering and art.
The project, a donation box for the
interactive art and science youth room, was
an eight-month labor of love. The donation
box, proposed and sponsored by the Dahl,
was conceived as part of the students’ senior
capstone design course, aimed at offering
students a learning experience that spans
conception and design to manufacturing
and final production. The team, self-named
“Big Money,” met with Dahl personnel
throughout the process to develop a project
that met the center’s needs: a wide base for
child safety and all interactive features
placed about two to three feet high. In
homage to the convergence of two worlds,
the upper-left half of the box is
technologically-themed, while the upper-right
features art.
The multidisciplinary team included both
mechanical and electrical engineering
students, all of whom graduated in
December: Garret Aman, Michael Boschee,
Nicolas Holzer, John Jensen and Johnny
Mize. Jason Ash, instructor in the Department
of Mechanical Engineering, and Ralph
Grahek, instructor and technician in the
Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, served as advisors to the team.
Victoria Ledford, Tyler Read, Naomi Even-
Aberle and Pepper Massey at the Dahl
provided feedback on the design. Pacific
Steel and Recycling donated the metal for
the frame, with the remainder of expenses
absorbed by the Dahl Arts Center.
Students spark youth
imaginations as
engineering, art collide
Todd Kenner, RESPEC president and chief executive officer and
Mines alumnus.
4
Programming team
heads to World
Finals in Russia
A South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
student programming team has qualified for
the Olympics of computer science to be held
in Russia next summer.
The team of Colton Manville of Rapid City,
Trevor Mahoney of Scottsbluff, Neb., and Dean
Laganiere of Racine, Minn., will be among 22
other United States teams competing in St.
Petersburg, Russia, in July 2013. About 90
international teams will also vie for the 37th
annual world title.
It is the fifth time a School of Mines team has
qualified for the World Finals of the Association
for Computing Machinery (ACM) International
Collegiate Programming Contest, “an
accomplishment that, as far as we can tell, no
other school of our size, and few other schools
of any size, can claim,” says Toni Logar, Ph.D.,
who has coached the Mines team for 25 years.
Other coaches are Roger Schrader and Larry
Pyeatt, Ph.D. Ed Corwin, Ph.D., served as
Regional Chief Judge.
In November, students competed in the ACM
regional qualifier against 239 teams
representing eight states and two Canadian
provinces. SDSM&T’s World Finals qualifying
team was among five three-person Mines
teams. All five teams from the university placed
within the top third of the regional contest.
The contest fosters creativity, teamwork and
innovation in building algorithms and
programs to solve difficult problems, and it
also enables students to test their ability to
perform under pressure. It is the oldest, largest
and most prestigious programming contest
in the world, according to the ICPC fact sheet.
In the regional contest, teams had five hours
to solve nine problems.
From outstanding starting salaries to highly
sought-after mining engineers to
technological innovations to repair B-1
bombers, the South Dakota School of Mines
& Technology has been featured prominently
in a wide variety of recent magazines.
In its cover story dated Jan. 26, Barron’s
points out that the average starting salary
of School of Mines graduates is 16 percent
higher than that of Yale University grads.
Entitled “The Next Boom,” the story focuses
on “cheap natural gas and increasingly
competitive labor costs,” including a growing
U.S. petroleum and natural gas production.
The School of Mines starting salary figure
of $62,696, an increase of $6,000, was
released just last week.
Shashi Kanth, head of the Mining Engineering
Department, was featured in an international
magazine, Indian Student Guide to American
Higher Education. Written about the growing
demand for an education in mining
engineering, the story is posted to the
magazine’s website and is scheduled to
appear in the February print edition.
The article tells of Kanth growing up in India
and, after college, enjoying an impressive
career in the mining industry before returning
to revive SDSM&T’s then-floundering mining
program. Also featured was SDSM&T Mining
Industrial Advisory Board member Leigh
Freeman of Downing Teal Inc., a Denver-based
global recruitment specialist company.
Freeman has served as the industry
representative on a National Academy of
Sciences study, whose goal is to help ensure
the country will have enough minerals for the
economy. He provided data showing the
increased need for mining engineers, which
U.S. university programs are struggling to feed.
The School of Mines is also featured in the
January cover story of the Rapid City Area
Chamber of Commerce’s Investment Report.
The story focuses on the university’s expanding
efforts to highlight and increase local economic
impact. Specifically, it described technology
transfer, which is developing faculty research
into business start-ups. The article also
highlights nanoparticle-based ink research
efforts that garnered much international
attention in the fall.
Magazines put the spotlight on Mines
salaries, programs, research
In other publications, the January/February
issue of South Dakota Magazine focuses on
cold spray technology research by Christian
Widener, Ph.D., of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering. The research of
Widener, also director of the Repair, Refurbish
and Return to Service Center, is helping to
repair aging B-1 bombers at Ellsworth Air
Force Base. The story was part of the 2013
Higher Education Guide, published within
the magazine.
In a November story entitled “Energizing
Energy,” Prairie Business Magazine highlighted
a $49 million Schlumberger petroleum
software gift to the university. Foster Sawyer,
Ph.D., the assistant professor who authored
the Schlumberger request, and Laurie
Anderson, Ph.D., head of the Department
of Geology and Geological Engineering,
were featured. They discussed how the
industry-grade software donation is helping
to distinguish the university’s research and
better prepare students for careers.
School of Mines students heading to Russia are, from left, Trevor Mahoney, Dean Laganiere and Colton Manville.
5
Museum of Geology loans a treasure
of prehistoric proportions
International
conference
coming to
campus in May
Dinosaur tracks have made their
final trek – to the Journey Museum,
thanks to a loan from the South
Dakota School of Mines &
Technology’s Museum of Geology.
And at more than 3 tons, the
journey of this 7-square-foot,
14-inch thick limestone slab was
an impressive feat.
The slab shows the tracks of at
least two small theropod dinosaurs
in the top layer of stone, and a
second tiny track in an underlying
layer with ripple marks preserved.
Theropods are characteristically
three-toed, carnivorous dinosaurs.
These tracks date back to the
Cretaceous period and may
represent a shoreline of the
Western Interior Seaway. More
tracks and fossils may come to
light as the slab is examined.
After leaving a ranch at the eastern
edge of the Black Hills to move to
Custer in the 1930s, the slab
remained stationary for the next
60 years before moving to the
Rapid City Regional Airport. When
the airport underwent renovations
several years ago, the dinosaur
tracks found a new home at the
Paleontology Research Laboratory
on the School of Mines campus,
where it remained until the
Museum of Geology’s recent loan.
The dinosaur tracks, displayed in
the Journey’s lobby and open to
the public free of charge, were
sought as part of the museum’s
Interpretation and Continuity
Committee’s (ICC) effort to
enhance the lobby experience
while providing a tantalizing taste
of the treasures the museum
houses and interprets. The
limestone slab will be flanked by
two large television screens
donated by Karl’s TV and
Appliance. The screens will be
used to broadcast information
about the Journey, its mission, its
partners and its exhibits.
Planning began in the summer of
2012, with the Journey’s efforts
greatly aided by the ICC’s outreach
to community supporters. As part
of their Mines museum studies
classes, students Alexis Godeke
and Alaina Fike researched and
wrote the text labels for the
exhibit, and cleaned and
conserved the surface of the slab
with members of the Paleontology
Club at SDSMT. Box Elder Job
Corps welding instructor Paul
Baran and his class constructed
the fabrication slab frame, while
the Corps’ painting instructor Tim
Raftery and class painted it. Greens
Moving and Storage, who
transported the slab to the airport
20 years ago, moved it again to
the Journey, where D&W Crane
and Rigging, Inc., lifted the slab
onto the frame. After Hagen Glass
removed the large glass door at
the Stanford Adelstein Gallery,
Baran’s class moved the slab inside
and lowered it to the floor.
During the following months, a
detailed description of the track’s
specimen will be undertaken. The
public can view the dinosaur
tracks free of charge in the lobby
during the museum’s winter hours:
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through
Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.
The Journey Museum is located
at 222 New York St., Rapid City.
Co-chaired by Reid Riner and
Karen Miller, the ICC, in cooperation
with the board of directors,
identifies the specific projects and
emerging needs of the Journey
Museum. The Museum of Geology
at the South Dakota School of
Mines & Technology is one of the
four founding partners of the
Journey, and is in charge of the
geology hall and programs at the
museum. Sally Shelton, Museum
of Geology associate director,
serves as curator for this area.
The 2013 International Electro/
Information Technology Conference,
sponsored by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) Region 4, will be hosted May
9-11, 2013, on the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology
campus. The conference will focus
on basic and applied research results
in the fields of electrical and
computer engineering, physics,
computer science, industrial
engineering and mathematics.
R.J. Trew, National Science
Foundation director for the
Electrical, Communications, and
Cyber Systems Division located in
Arlington, Va., will deliver the
keynote address on Friday, May 10.
The purpose of the conference is to
provide a forum for students,
researchers and industrial
investigators to exchange ideas and
discuss developments in these
growing fields. Exhibits featuring
the latest electro/information
technology tools and products will
be showcased. Industry researchers
will present abstracts and short
papers related to products in new
and emerging markets such as
robotics and autonomous systems,
multi-agent and intelligent systems,
embedded systems, power systems
and power electronics, consumer
and automotive electronics,
biomedical applications and
telemedicine, nanotechnology,
MEMS, wireless systems, ad hoc and
sensor networks, cyber security,
image and signal processing, data
fusion, big data and data mining,
cloud computing and software
engineering and systems.
Region 4 consists of IEEE members
in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,
Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin and
the Windsor area of Ontario, Canada.
Typically, these conferences draw
150-200 participates. It will also
facilitate booths representing
company products and services.
Registration and corporate
sponsorships are available at
various patron levels listed on
http://eit-conference.org/eit2013/.
6
Battle-hardened unmanned
ground vehicle gifted to Mines lab
The South Dakota School of Mines
& Technology has added a major
military-grade unmanned ground
vehicle (UGV) to its rapidly-expanding
autonomous robotics
program, thanks to a donation
from Utah State University (USU).
Developed by USU and employed
in a variety of capacities, from
military scout missions to remote
surveillance and sensor
deployment, autonomous
unmanned ground vehicles are a
critical component of U.S. Army
infra-structure. The donation was
given to the electrical and
computer engi n e e r ing
department controls lab, where it
will be housed, under the direction
of Charles Tolle, Ph.D., professor
of the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering and a
USU alumnus.
Built in the late 1990s, the UGV
was originally designed for scout
work within military field
operations. However, with the
emergence of improvised
explosive devices (IEDs)
throughout field operations, the
vehicle was repurposed by the
military and reengineered by USU
to work with smaller inspection
vehicles that detect IEDs at check
points and U.S. government
installations and patrol parking
areas for bombs. Today, unmanned
ground vehicles sport a variety of
applications, including
transporting, surveying, deploying
and refueling other robots;
detecting mines; surveying forest
fires; carrying food and provisions
to military encampments; and
autonomous farming operations.
Donated by USU after its Center
of Excellence closed, the $250,000
unmanned ground vehicle, named
the T2e, boasts USU’s “smart
wheels” technology, in which
processors independently control
both the speed and direction of
each wheel. When applied to the
T2e, the result is an omni-directional
vehicle. Tolle explains
the vehicle’s impressive
capabilities, “With this robot’s
wheels and their ability to turn
360 degrees, it can literally slide
left or spin on a dime.”
The vehicle’s guidance system
boasts noteworthy credentials of
its own. Far more advanced than
most of the robots in the field
today, the system shifts focus from
simply arriving at a destination,
by following a highly specified
path along its journey, to driving
within a corridor. In other words,
the vehicle drives in its own lane
rather than requiring a set of
waypoints along its path.
A member of USU’s Omni-
Direction Inspection System family
of unmanned ground vehicles,
this donation offers Mines
professors and students alike
access to a top-of-the-line, field-tested
UGV for advanced
autonomous guidance and
cooperative robot research.
The UGV is part of a larger
equipment donation that includes
spare parts and an autonomous
wheel chair from USU’s Center for
Self-Organizing and Intelligent
Systems, part of its electrical and
computer engi n e e r ing
department.
Sharpened by a $2,000 donation from Raven Industries along with
full access to its GPS base station in Rapid City, the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology Robotics Team will get a chance to slice
through the competition at this year’s Intelligent Ground Vehicle
Competition, slated for the summer of 2013.
The cutting-edge of engineering education, this competition taps
the latest technologies impacting industrial development, challenging
students to push their software engineering, mechanical and electrical
expertise to the max as they test their mettle against elite universities
across the country.
An industry leader in South Dakota for more than 50 years, the Sioux
Falls-based Raven Industries opened a branch office in Rapid City this
past winter, partnering with the School of Mines to recruit students
and foster research collaborations with faculty in mechanical, electrical
and computer engineering and computer science. The office is housed
on campus in the Black Hills Business Development Center.
Raven Industries’ donation
gives Robotics Team an edge
As ecological and climactic
concerns move to the forefront
of public consciousness, South
Dakota School of Mines &
Technology associate professor
Lew Christopher’s tome
Integrated Forest Biorefineries:
Challenges and Opportunities
offers a prescient perspective,
the first of its kind to provide a
critical overview of the topic
within a social, economic and
environmental framework.
Aimed at an expansive business
and scientific community,
ranging from scientists and
academics to policymakers and
industry leaders, the reference
book focuses on the
Mines professor’s new book
forecasts the future of fuel
transformation of pulp and paper
mills into integrated forest
biorefineries (IFBRs) that would
require the development of
advanced bio-based processes
to benefit industry and society.
Christopher, Ph.D., serves as the
book’s editor.
Integrated Forest Biorefineries:
Challenges and Opportunities is
published by the Royal Society
of Chemistry. Additional details
and purchase information may
be found at the publisher’s
website at rsc.org/Shop/books/
or through other bookstores.
From left are Ian Carlson, Caleb Jamison, Jim Slichter, Matt Richard, Lon Stroschein, Dan Rykhus,
Matt Burkhart, Anthony Schmidt
7
Donation drives Formula team
closer to the finish line
With heart-pounding acceleration and
exhilarating hairpin turns, the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology Formula
Hardrocker Racing team offers students an
adrenaline-fueled experience they won’t soon
forget. And now, thanks to A2L Technologies,
Inc.’s, recent $10,000 donation toward the
purchase of a trailer, the team can take its car
to compete in the 2013 Formula Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) competition and
to other events, including recruiting trips.
Designed and built by a team of 15 to 20 Mines
students each year, these cars prove themselves
against those from more than 100 universities
all over the world, from Purdue to the University
of Stuttgart, Germany.
But the price of competition is high. The team
must use a personal truck to haul a trailer each
time they wish to compete. Currently, the
team is seeking the donation of a truck to help
defray costs. Donations such as A2L’s allow
the team to funnel high cost savings into high
performance, giving it an edge over the
competition as it sprints down the track.
This spring, the team will test its car at Ford’s
famed wind tunnel in Allen Park, Mich., for
the third year in a row at $20,000 per eight-hour
session, a cost absorbed by Ford.
The A2L trailer and truck that will help transport
the race car to Ford’s wind tunnel will be used
not only by the Mines Formula team but also
other student vehicle teams from the Center
of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing
and Production (CAMP). Among the many
teams are the Human Powered Vehicle,
Supermileage car and Baja. The teams also
haul their vehicles to competitions, public
relations and community service events.
A2L Technologies, Inc. is an environmental
consulting, engineering and remediation
company in Thonotosassa, Fla.
Continued from page 1
own Formula Hardrocker Racing SAE team.
Some of those Mines students are
participating in the biometric pilot program.
“Nexus needed a place that was going to
be technologically advanced enough to
handle this and with a student population
savvy enough. We hope they will give us
some feedback on how to make this a better
product and to find a better way to help
market it. This is an innovative university,
and we really need to show the world,” said
Al Maas, Nexus USA’s President.
“The convenience factor is huge. It’s safe,
and I believe it’s going to accelerate fast.
We’re in tune with the technology age. Look
at how the fax went to email and then to
our cell phones. Within three years we’ve
gone from making calls to taking care of
everything we need in our lives,” Maas said.
Learn more about the Biocryptology® pilot
program at www.nexussmartpay.com.
View our digital story.
The SDSM&T Formula Hardrocker Racing team was among other CAMP teams showing off their designs to the
public at the Rushmore Mall recently. Other CAMP projects included those by the aero design, alternative fuel vehicle,
chemical engineering car, concrete canoe, gaming development, HAM radio, human-powered vehicle, mini Baja,
robotics, steel bridge, supermileage SAE and unmanned aerial vehicle teams.
Patrick Ealy, a recent atmospheric sciences
graduate, received national attention at the
annual American Indian Science and
Engineering Society (AISES) conference held
during the fall in Anchorage, Alaska.
Ealy, from Kinmundy, Ill., placed second in
the undergraduate section of the conference
and was the recipient of $400 and a new
iPad for his oral presentation entitled
“Comparative Analysis of Atmospheric
Thermal Inversion Conditions Reported by
South Dakota WRAN Network.”
Ealy earned a bachelor of science in
interdisciplinary sciences, with an
atmospheric sciences specialization, during
the fall 2012 semester. He started the first
SDSM&T Weather Club in spring 2011. Of
Cherokee heritage, Ealy was also a member
of the SDSM&T award winning AISES chapter.
AISES is a national, not-for-profit organization
which nurtures building of community by
bridging science and technology with
traditional Native American values.
Student receives
national award at
AISES conference
8
The South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology has been granted authority to
begin offering a new Ph.D. degree program
next fall. With the South Dakota Board of
Regents approval all that remains to make the
degree a reality is to secure funding for the
program from the 2013 legislature.
A $1.9 million request from the regents to
fund the program has been recommended to
lawmakers by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.
“Now it becomes our job to convince South
Dakota lawmakers that this is a very important
step forward for the state’s investment in
research, technology transfer, and long-term
economic development,” said Regents
President Kathryn Johnson.
Both the School of Mines and the University
of South Dakota received authority to grant
the degree. It is estimated the program would
launch initially with 12 students enrolled in
fall 2013, growing to 48 five years later.
The doctoral degree will support the state’s
significant investment in the Sanford
Underground Research Facility at the former
Homestake Gold Mine. Regents’ officials said
the degree will increase South Dakota’s
national and international reputation in
physics, and make its physics faculty more
competitive for external grant funding because
of the availability of doctoral students and
post-doctoral researchers.
South Dakota and Vermont are the only two
states without a doctoral program in physics.
New Ph.D. degree in physics to
be offered contingent on funding
The South Dakota Board of Regents has authorized a new bachelor’s degree in applied
biological sciences at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. The new applied
biological science degree program seeks to prepare students for careers based in South
Dakota or for graduate study by training them in the fields of biology and engineering.
By giving students a strong preparation in chemistry, mathematics, and physics, the new
program will prepare them for careers in biomedical engineering and technology, biotechnology,
bioprocessing, bioenergy, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and patent law.
Regents also approved two new certificate programs for the university: Global Engineering
(9 credit hours) and Occupational Safety (9 credit hours), offering students a pathway to
develop specialized expertise or seek career advancement.
The certificate programs are developed by packaging a small set of courses that allow students
to develop expertise within a focused area of study to address identified market or workforce
development needs.
Applied biological sciences degree, certificates approved
Student organizations
earn recognition
from Regents
Three student organizations from South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology were
recognized by the South Dakota Board of
Regents for their outstanding academic,
community and organizational work.
They are:
Award for Academic Excellence – The
American Society of Civil Engineers student
chapter at School of Mines promotes
professional development by hosting
academic speakers, the biannual Surveying
Conference, and the annual Concrete
Conference. The chapter has also holds
test review sessions to prepare students
to study for the Fundamentals of
Engineering (FE) exam.
Community Service Award – Circle K
International stresses community service,
while developing leaders and promoting
fellowship. Circle K has grown significantly
on the Mines campus, fulfilling about 750
service hours in the past academic year.
The group collects donated food for
Feeding South Dakota and also sponsors
clients from Black Hills Workshop to attend
athletic and other group activities.
Award for Organizational Leadership –
Members of Triangle Fraternity serve in
leadership roles across the Mines campus,
including the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, the M Week
Committee, Inter-Fraternity Council,
Student Ambassadors, Student Senate and
the Leadership Development Team.
Triangle’s community service projects
include the Red Ribbon Parade, highway
clean-up and Habitat for Humanity.
The Museum of Geology at the South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology has
partnered with the Journey Museum to
offer a class entitled “Geology of the Black
Hills” for high school students and adults.
Alvis Lisenbee, Ph.D., School of Mines
professor emeritus of geology, is teaching
a five-session introductory view of
geological features of the Black Hills region,
including Devil’s Tower, the Harney Peak
granite and pegmatites, gold deposits,
caves and fossils. The class, which began
in January, also includes an introduction
to the general geologic principles used to
study the evolution of the Earth.
Museums collaborate
to offer Geology of the
Black Hills class
9
Representatives from the South
Dakota School of Mines &
Technology’s Youth Programs
were interviewed by the U.S.
Department of Education (DOE)
in December as part of a research
study which, in part, examined
the impact of Mines programs
on the Red Cloud Indian School.
During the summer of 2012
alone, 45 Red Cloud Middle
School students attended the
university’s Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM)
programs. Between the 21st
Century grant and other Red
Cloud Indian School grants and
Mines scholarships, more than
$32,000 was awarded to help
those students attend Mines’
summer camps and classes.
The DOE is studying the Red
Cloud Indian School’s 21st
Century Community Learning
Center programming as one of
only 15 after-school programs
chosen from across the country.
The DOE was at the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation school to
complete research on how it is
partnering with the School of
Mines, which offers STEM
education through a variety of
programs, including summer
camps and classes for youth.
Information provided by the
School of Mines will be used in
the study and also in four
national “Lessons Learned
Guide” that will help similar
programs nationwide.
STEM
programs
impact
reservations
Eight teams of students ages 9-14 competed head-to-head with
robots made out of Legos in the First Lego League contest held at
the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in December. The
winning team advances to the state competition in hopes of
ultimately competing in the world finals.
Students compete with
robotic Legos
The John T. Vucurevich
Foundation has gifted $10,000
to the Youth Programs office at
the South Dakota School of
Mines & Technology to be used
for scholarships for students
who may not otherwise be able
to participate in a science and
engineering camp in the
summer of 2013.
Summer camps are designed to
engage students in STEM topics,
majors and careers.
2013 camp dates are:
June 9-14: Geology Rocks!
Youth Geology Field Camp in
the Black Hills
June 23-28: Mining and
Explosives Engineering
Institute
June 23-28: Fossils: The Path
of the Paleontologist
June 23-28: Earthwise: Shape
the World with Civil and
Environmental Engineers
July 7-12: Power Camp:
Electronics and Computers in
Your Hands
July 7-12: ASM Materials,
Metallurgy, and Forensics
Engineering Institute
July 21-26: Robotics Camp
July 21-26: Chemical and
Biological Engineering
Institute
Vucurevich
Foundation
donates
$10,000
Students awarded Power & Energy Society scholarships
Eight Mines students were awarded Power & Energy Society scholarships
through the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
The scholarships were issued through the IEEE Power Engineering
Society Scholarship Plus Program and ranged from $2,000 to $3,000
per student. Mines students were among 228 recipients from 100
universities. The university was among the top 10 in number of awards
received, according to Dr. Kazem Sohraby, Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department head.
Among the first-year recipients were Daniel Friendshuh, a senior from
Buffalo Gap, S.D.; Sean Bestgen, a senior from Whitewood, S.D.; Brandon
Yuill, a senior from Rapid City; Collin Eddy, a junior from Phoenix;
Zachary Norstedt, a sophomore from Powers Lake, N.D.; and Lance
Baum, a sophomore from Clearwater, Neb.
Underclassmen will be eligible for renewal next year by maintaining
a 3.0 grade point average, securing an internship in the electric power
industry or working on a power-related research project. Senior Jimmy
Higgins, a senior from Rapid City, was awarded the scholarship for a
second academic year. He received an additional $5,000 scholarship
from IEEE through its veteran’s scholarship program for power
engineering students.
10
The room filled quickly, students clustered around tables, notebooks
and pens strewn among design projects and old machinery molds.
The artist Masayuki Nagase was to conduct a workshop in the Center
of Advanced Manufacturing and Production (CAMP) Design Lab on
the School of Mines campus.
Spanning four continents, Nagase’s public art installations transfix
and transcend, enrapturing patrons of all countries, cultures and
generations. For Nagase, public art is a dialogue, an exchange of a
community’s artistic visions and his own. And so, having recently
been selected to sculpt the granite pillars of Main Street Square in
Downtown Rapid City, Nagase decided to meet with local organizations
over the course of a week. The purpose was to both articulate his
artistic translation of the region’s natural beauty, cultural traditions
and historical narrative and hear the community’s own. In short,
Nagase was in search of a conversation.
The topic: defying expectations.
After giving students sealed paper bags, he instructed them to close
their eyes, open the bag and feel the object inside, noting their first
impressions – and their evolution.
Austin Norberg, a master’s student in civil engineering, shared his
experience, “It was hard and cold; and at first, it felt smooth, but as it
got into more detail, you could feel the cracks and divots. It’s a smooth
surface that had a lot more to it” – an apt metaphor for Nagase’s art,
and CAMP engineering.
Engineers are often characterized as left-brained and logical, with a
dogged determination to avoid intuitive leaps, to let facts dictate the
process. But at its core, engineering is a creative endeavor, demanding
innovation and daring.
Nagase’s work, too, emerges as a paradox: analytical and intuitive,
definitive and amorphous, permanent and ephemeral.
Dan Dolan, Ph.D., the director of CAMP and a professor of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering, says this dichotomy is why
CAMP reached out to Nagase. “Much of creativity comes from bringing
together normally unconnected domains. When we gain a little
knowledge in something we don’t even know we don’t know, we may
be able to blend things in a way that is different and beneficial.”
Kim Osberg, associate director of CAMP, expounds, “Engineers do not
have to be cold, exact and logical. Sometimes more right-brained or
creative approaches are exactly what is needed to solve the problem.”
And when these worlds collide, the result is breathtaking.
CAMP students possess Nagase’s familiarity with material, melding
form and function so seamlessly that the result feels spontaneous,
sprung into being through necessity alone. The racing car’s sleek lines
convey power before performance ever comes into play.
As the workshop wound down, students began to file out of the room,
handing Nagase their responses scrawled across his questionnaire.
The voices had quieted into silence, but for Nagase, the conversation
had just begun.
View our digital story.
Sculpture and the art of CAMP engineering
P.V. Sundareshwar, Ph.D., state carbon scientist for South Dakota and associate
professor in the atmospheric sciences department at the South Dakota School
of Mines & Technology, has been awarded a fellowship by the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
He is serving as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Diplomacy,
Security and Development track of the Executive Branch. In this position, Dr.
Sundareshwar is a climate change advisor to the Africa Bureau of the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID). He is spending a year in the Washington,
D.C. office, and will make several trips to Africa.
Mines professor receives AAAS fellowship
Masayuki Nagase discusses his exhibit at the Dahl Arts Center. Used with permission of Destination Rapid City in Downtown Rapid City.
About Legacy News
Legacy News is produced by the Office of University
Relations the first Wednesday of each month. The
newsletter is largely a compilation of news releases,
photos and Web articles.
To submit news or story ideas or to subscribe to the
email distribution list, please contact Fran LeFort,
communications manager, at 394-6082 or at fran.lefort@
sdsmt.edu. For more South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology news, visit news.sdsmt.edu/press/.

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1
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
Legacy News
February 2013
sdsmt.edu
Graduating students at the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology enjoyed a
$6,000 starting salary increase in 2012
compared to the year before, with an
annual offer averaging $62,696.
New figures released by the School of
Mines’ Career and Professional
Development Center reflect bachelor of
science degree graduates self-reporting.
In September the School of Mines made
national headlines when Bloomberg News
cited PayScale Inc.’s annual report, which
indicated SDSM&T graduates earned a
higher starting salary than
Harvard’s–$56,700 for Mines graduates
and $54,100 for Harvard’s–at about a
fourth of the cost to attend.
“These newest salary figures prove that
the high quality of education we offer at
the South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology is recognized by employers.
We prepare our students to be industry
innovators and leaders of tomorrow, all
the while offering a great return on
investment,” said SDSM&T Acting President
Duane Hrncir.
The current total estimated cost per year,
including tuition, fees, room and board,
is $15,300 for South Dakota students and
$17,245 for out-of-state students. Last fall
SDSM&T enrolled 2,424 students, a 5
percent growth from the previous year.
The most up-to-date placement figures
indicate 98 percent of graduates either
found employment in their field of study
or advanced to pursue a master’s degree.
The School of Mines offers highly
specialized programs in science,
engineering, technology and math with
16 bachelor’s degrees, 14 master’s degrees
and seven Ph.Ds.
Starting salaries
top $62,000
The South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology and Nexus USA have partnered
on a cutting-edge biometrics program, which
researchers hope will one day lead to a cashless
– and more secure – society.
The program makes Mines the first in the world
to test life as a biometrics campus using foil-proof
Biocryptology® that goes beyond a
fingerprint to read multiple layers into the
skin and detect hemoglobin in the blood.
Patented technology on the back end turns
each finger scan into a series of valueless
numbers that change every time the finger is
introduced. Data encryption ensures security,
as the numbers can’t be reproduced in a
meaningful way, not by merchants, law
enforcement, hackers or even Nexus.
The Nexus Smart Pay pilot program at the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
is being tested by 50 students and four faculty
members at two locations on campus.
Consumers deposit money into an account,
with which they associate their biometric data.
Mines students and faculty members pay for
goods with a simple finger scan, no cash,
credit, debit or ID cards or pin codes necessary.
Testing life as a
biometrics campus
Biocryptology®, in part, reads several layers
deep into the skin using radio frequency. The
technology can be applied to other
applications, including physical and logical
access. It also protects against identity theft,
as fewer forms of identification are needed to
be carried on a person and the system operates
in a highly secure, closed and uniquely
encrypted environment.
“Advancing technology to transform lives is
what we do at the School of Mines, and we
are proud to be not only the first university
but indeed the first organization of any kind
in the world to pilot this groundbreaking
program,” said Acting President Duane Hrncir,
Ph.D. “We are excited about being on the front
end of this technology. It’s a natural fit for us
to partner with Nexus USA and Hanscan.”
Nexus USA is a subsidiary of Spanish-based
Hanscan Identity Management, which is
owned by entrepreneur and oil tycoon Klaas
Zwart, also a Formula 1 enthusiast who has
built his own racing resort in Marbella, Spain.
Zwart visited the SDSM&T campus in
September, spending time with the Mines’
Continued to page 7
2
Anna Balazs announced as 2013 Mines Medalist
Anna Balazs, a pioneer in the area of predicting
the behavior of complex polymeric materials
through her theoretical predictions, has been
named 2013 Mines Medalist by the South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
Balazs, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of
Chemical Engineering at the University of
Pittsburgh, whose area of expertise is
theoretical and computational modeling of
polymer blends and composites. She is
recognized as a trend-setting researcher who
developed powerful, compre-hensive
computer models to predict the behavior of
nanocomposites. These studies provided
critically needed guidelines for creating high
performance materials formed from polymers
and nanoparticles.
She becomes the fifth Mines Medalist to be
named by the South Dakota School of Mines
& Technology, which founded the national
award in 2009 to recognize scientists and
engineers who have demonstrated exceptional
leadership and innovation.
Dr. Balazs’ research has significant impact on
the scientific world. She leads a team that
predicted the behavior of Belousov-
Zhabotinsky (BZ) gels, a gel with far-reaching
applications “such as artificial skin that could
be sensory – a holy grail in robotics,” she said.
“The research being conducted by Anna Balazs
has the power to transform lives, and we are
excited to name such a distinguished
researcher as our 2013 Mines Medalist,” said
Mines Acting President Duane Hrncir, Ph.D.
Her group developed the first computational
model to describe large scale deformations
and shape changes in chemo-responsive
polymer gels. She has also made significant
contributions to the area of self-healing
materials and has collaborated with
experimentalists at the McGowan Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.
The materials and modeling methods being
produced as a result of her work are far-reaching,
with her research focusing on a very
diverse spectrum of systems, including
nanocomposites, self-oscillating gels, self-healing
materials and polymeric microcapsules.
Dr. Balazs’ work focuses on developing
theoretical and computational models to
capture the behavior of polymer blends,
nanocomposites, complex fluids and colloidal
systems, work that is “crucial to develop
predictive models for the behavior” of
designing advanced materials, according to
one of her nominators Steven R. Little, Ph.D.,
chair of Pittsburgh’s Department of Chemical
and Petroleum Engineering.
“It is in this area that Balazs and her research
group have made fundamentally important
and unique contributions, which are allowing
scientists to understand how choices made
Student art pays tribute to late
President Wharton
Though best known for their scientific and engineering endeavors, Mines students have
showcased their artistic talents and paid tribute to the late President Robert A. Wharton in
a mammoth Classroom Building display.
A 5-foot by 8-foot charcoal drawing hangs from the third floor east stairwell ceiling and
portrays the late president scaling Antarctica’s glacial peaks in fearless scientific pursuit, a
radiant smile illuminating his face.
The collaborative result is composed of tile squares composed in Art 111, Drawing and
Perception, led by Deborah Mitchell, Apex Gallery director and associate professor in the
Department of Humanities.
at the molecular level affect the macroscopic
performance of the system.” Little called her
work “theoretically elegant and applicable to
real materials of industrial relevance.”
She has been a fellow in the Royal Society of
Chemistry; a senior visiting fellow at Oxford
Center for Advanced Materials and Composites
and Materials Science Department (Oxford
University); visiting fellow at Corpus Christi
College, Oxford University; and a fellow with
the American Physical Society.
Her work has been published in Science, Nature
and numerous other publications and has
been described in popular media outlets such
as The Economist and Science News.
Dr. Balazs says she feels “extremely honored
to be inducted into a group that includes such
illustrious awardees.”
Previous Medalists include Dr. Diana Wall, 2012
recipient and University Distinguished
Professor and director of the School of Global
Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State
University; Dr. Lee Rybeck Lynd, 2011 recipient
and professor of engineering and adjunct
professor of biology and earth science at
Dartmouth College; Steven Squyres, 2010
recipient and Cornell University astronomer
and principal scientist for NASA’s Mars
Exploration Rover missions; and Dr. Cindy Van
Dover, 2009 recipient and chair and professor
of Duke University’s Division of Marine Sciences
and Conservation and director of the Duke
University Marine Laboratory.
She will be presented the next Mines Medal
during the Oct. 3, 2013, Mines Medal Dinner
and Award Ceremony to be held at the
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
3
RESPEC Consulting & Services has committed
to donating $250,000 over five years to the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology’s
research efforts. The first RESPEC
Undergraduate Research Grant Program award
will be granted for the next academic year.
A Rapid City company founded in 1969 by five
School of Mines professors, RESPEC has grown
to become an acclaimed national leader in
mining and energy, water and natural
resources, and information technologies. It
has eight other offices in the United States
and annual revenues of more than $25 million.
“We are eager to work with SDSM&T to make
this program a reality. We are absolutely
committed to the School of Mines in shaping
a signature program for advancing research,
and we are hopeful it will encourage other
similar private and industrial partnerships
with the university in the future,” said Todd
Kenner, RESPEC president and chief executive
officer and Mines alumnus.
RESPEC has committed to match employee
donations up to a combined total of $50,000
per year for five years. A portion of the funds
will be used immediately to support research,
and the remainder will be endowed for the
same purpose. Endowments allow the principal
to be invested with the earnings funding the
annual awards, thus enabling the fund to
continue in perpetuity. Twenty-four School of
Mines alumni employed by RESPEC have
already stepped up to support this initiative,
and projects will be considered in early 2013
with research beginning in the fall of 2013.
“We are grateful these alumni are investing
in their alma mater by ‘giving back’, and
pleased, and appreciative of the generous
commitment from RESPEC. It is creative
collaborations like this that will not only
provide meaningful research opportunities
for our students but also help the university
realize our commitment to deliver academic
and research programs of excellence,” said
Acting President Duane Hrncir, Ph.D.
The university and RESPEC have worked
together on numerous projects over the past
43 years, with the School of Mines “providing
a link to the tremendous talent that we have
working for us today,” said Lance Roberts,
Ph.D., RESPEC vice president of mining and
energy, alumnus and former Mines faculty
member. “With this grant, RESPEC will support
the engineering and science leadership of
tomorrow while advancing the university’s
research mission in complementary areas.”
After its establishment by School of Mines
professors with backgrounds in civil, electrical,
mechanical, mining and geological
engineering, RESPEC built a reputation for
expertise in geomechanics, numerical
modeling, heat transfer and fluid flow to solve
problems in mining and civil engineering.
In the 1980s, RESPEC developed a world-class
materials testing laboratory for the analysis
of core samples from proposed sites for nuclear
waste repositories. Meanwhile, it was also
quickly advancing to the forefront in
information technologies and computers. In
the 1990s, with rapidly expanding expertise,
RESPEC divided into three business areas –
engineering, information technologies and
environmental, which is now known as the
Water and Natural Resources Division.
RESPEC leaders have continued their
involvement with the School of Mines by
serving on the Alumni Association Board, the
SDSM&T Foundation, the University Advisory
Board, and various department industrial
advisory boards. They’ve partnered with the
university on other key projects involving the
South Dakota Department of Natural
Resources, the Sanford Underground Research
Facility, the South Dakota Department of
Transportation and the Department of Energy.
The company counts more than 45 Mines
graduates hired since 1972, with 33 alumni
currently employed by RESPEC. Five Mines
alumni serve on RESPEC’s Board of Directors.
RESPEC commits $250,000
to research efforts
Children are often
taught technology
and art are mutually
exclusive. You’re
right brained or left.
Einstein or Picasso.
An artist or an
engineer. In reality,
and throughout
history, the two are
more intimately
entwined: both
expressions of
i m a g i n a t i o n ,
creativity and
human ingenuity;
both, explorations of the unknown.
Propelled by this ethos, Mines students
partnered with the Dahl Arts Center on a
project aimed at engaging and exciting the
next generation about the interfacing of
science, engineering and art.
The project, a donation box for the
interactive art and science youth room, was
an eight-month labor of love. The donation
box, proposed and sponsored by the Dahl,
was conceived as part of the students’ senior
capstone design course, aimed at offering
students a learning experience that spans
conception and design to manufacturing
and final production. The team, self-named
“Big Money,” met with Dahl personnel
throughout the process to develop a project
that met the center’s needs: a wide base for
child safety and all interactive features
placed about two to three feet high. In
homage to the convergence of two worlds,
the upper-left half of the box is
technologically-themed, while the upper-right
features art.
The multidisciplinary team included both
mechanical and electrical engineering
students, all of whom graduated in
December: Garret Aman, Michael Boschee,
Nicolas Holzer, John Jensen and Johnny
Mize. Jason Ash, instructor in the Department
of Mechanical Engineering, and Ralph
Grahek, instructor and technician in the
Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, served as advisors to the team.
Victoria Ledford, Tyler Read, Naomi Even-
Aberle and Pepper Massey at the Dahl
provided feedback on the design. Pacific
Steel and Recycling donated the metal for
the frame, with the remainder of expenses
absorbed by the Dahl Arts Center.
Students spark youth
imaginations as
engineering, art collide
Todd Kenner, RESPEC president and chief executive officer and
Mines alumnus.
4
Programming team
heads to World
Finals in Russia
A South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
student programming team has qualified for
the Olympics of computer science to be held
in Russia next summer.
The team of Colton Manville of Rapid City,
Trevor Mahoney of Scottsbluff, Neb., and Dean
Laganiere of Racine, Minn., will be among 22
other United States teams competing in St.
Petersburg, Russia, in July 2013. About 90
international teams will also vie for the 37th
annual world title.
It is the fifth time a School of Mines team has
qualified for the World Finals of the Association
for Computing Machinery (ACM) International
Collegiate Programming Contest, “an
accomplishment that, as far as we can tell, no
other school of our size, and few other schools
of any size, can claim,” says Toni Logar, Ph.D.,
who has coached the Mines team for 25 years.
Other coaches are Roger Schrader and Larry
Pyeatt, Ph.D. Ed Corwin, Ph.D., served as
Regional Chief Judge.
In November, students competed in the ACM
regional qualifier against 239 teams
representing eight states and two Canadian
provinces. SDSM&T’s World Finals qualifying
team was among five three-person Mines
teams. All five teams from the university placed
within the top third of the regional contest.
The contest fosters creativity, teamwork and
innovation in building algorithms and
programs to solve difficult problems, and it
also enables students to test their ability to
perform under pressure. It is the oldest, largest
and most prestigious programming contest
in the world, according to the ICPC fact sheet.
In the regional contest, teams had five hours
to solve nine problems.
From outstanding starting salaries to highly
sought-after mining engineers to
technological innovations to repair B-1
bombers, the South Dakota School of Mines
& Technology has been featured prominently
in a wide variety of recent magazines.
In its cover story dated Jan. 26, Barron’s
points out that the average starting salary
of School of Mines graduates is 16 percent
higher than that of Yale University grads.
Entitled “The Next Boom,” the story focuses
on “cheap natural gas and increasingly
competitive labor costs,” including a growing
U.S. petroleum and natural gas production.
The School of Mines starting salary figure
of $62,696, an increase of $6,000, was
released just last week.
Shashi Kanth, head of the Mining Engineering
Department, was featured in an international
magazine, Indian Student Guide to American
Higher Education. Written about the growing
demand for an education in mining
engineering, the story is posted to the
magazine’s website and is scheduled to
appear in the February print edition.
The article tells of Kanth growing up in India
and, after college, enjoying an impressive
career in the mining industry before returning
to revive SDSM&T’s then-floundering mining
program. Also featured was SDSM&T Mining
Industrial Advisory Board member Leigh
Freeman of Downing Teal Inc., a Denver-based
global recruitment specialist company.
Freeman has served as the industry
representative on a National Academy of
Sciences study, whose goal is to help ensure
the country will have enough minerals for the
economy. He provided data showing the
increased need for mining engineers, which
U.S. university programs are struggling to feed.
The School of Mines is also featured in the
January cover story of the Rapid City Area
Chamber of Commerce’s Investment Report.
The story focuses on the university’s expanding
efforts to highlight and increase local economic
impact. Specifically, it described technology
transfer, which is developing faculty research
into business start-ups. The article also
highlights nanoparticle-based ink research
efforts that garnered much international
attention in the fall.
Magazines put the spotlight on Mines
salaries, programs, research
In other publications, the January/February
issue of South Dakota Magazine focuses on
cold spray technology research by Christian
Widener, Ph.D., of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering. The research of
Widener, also director of the Repair, Refurbish
and Return to Service Center, is helping to
repair aging B-1 bombers at Ellsworth Air
Force Base. The story was part of the 2013
Higher Education Guide, published within
the magazine.
In a November story entitled “Energizing
Energy,” Prairie Business Magazine highlighted
a $49 million Schlumberger petroleum
software gift to the university. Foster Sawyer,
Ph.D., the assistant professor who authored
the Schlumberger request, and Laurie
Anderson, Ph.D., head of the Department
of Geology and Geological Engineering,
were featured. They discussed how the
industry-grade software donation is helping
to distinguish the university’s research and
better prepare students for careers.
School of Mines students heading to Russia are, from left, Trevor Mahoney, Dean Laganiere and Colton Manville.
5
Museum of Geology loans a treasure
of prehistoric proportions
International
conference
coming to
campus in May
Dinosaur tracks have made their
final trek – to the Journey Museum,
thanks to a loan from the South
Dakota School of Mines &
Technology’s Museum of Geology.
And at more than 3 tons, the
journey of this 7-square-foot,
14-inch thick limestone slab was
an impressive feat.
The slab shows the tracks of at
least two small theropod dinosaurs
in the top layer of stone, and a
second tiny track in an underlying
layer with ripple marks preserved.
Theropods are characteristically
three-toed, carnivorous dinosaurs.
These tracks date back to the
Cretaceous period and may
represent a shoreline of the
Western Interior Seaway. More
tracks and fossils may come to
light as the slab is examined.
After leaving a ranch at the eastern
edge of the Black Hills to move to
Custer in the 1930s, the slab
remained stationary for the next
60 years before moving to the
Rapid City Regional Airport. When
the airport underwent renovations
several years ago, the dinosaur
tracks found a new home at the
Paleontology Research Laboratory
on the School of Mines campus,
where it remained until the
Museum of Geology’s recent loan.
The dinosaur tracks, displayed in
the Journey’s lobby and open to
the public free of charge, were
sought as part of the museum’s
Interpretation and Continuity
Committee’s (ICC) effort to
enhance the lobby experience
while providing a tantalizing taste
of the treasures the museum
houses and interprets. The
limestone slab will be flanked by
two large television screens
donated by Karl’s TV and
Appliance. The screens will be
used to broadcast information
about the Journey, its mission, its
partners and its exhibits.
Planning began in the summer of
2012, with the Journey’s efforts
greatly aided by the ICC’s outreach
to community supporters. As part
of their Mines museum studies
classes, students Alexis Godeke
and Alaina Fike researched and
wrote the text labels for the
exhibit, and cleaned and
conserved the surface of the slab
with members of the Paleontology
Club at SDSMT. Box Elder Job
Corps welding instructor Paul
Baran and his class constructed
the fabrication slab frame, while
the Corps’ painting instructor Tim
Raftery and class painted it. Greens
Moving and Storage, who
transported the slab to the airport
20 years ago, moved it again to
the Journey, where D&W Crane
and Rigging, Inc., lifted the slab
onto the frame. After Hagen Glass
removed the large glass door at
the Stanford Adelstein Gallery,
Baran’s class moved the slab inside
and lowered it to the floor.
During the following months, a
detailed description of the track’s
specimen will be undertaken. The
public can view the dinosaur
tracks free of charge in the lobby
during the museum’s winter hours:
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through
Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.
The Journey Museum is located
at 222 New York St., Rapid City.
Co-chaired by Reid Riner and
Karen Miller, the ICC, in cooperation
with the board of directors,
identifies the specific projects and
emerging needs of the Journey
Museum. The Museum of Geology
at the South Dakota School of
Mines & Technology is one of the
four founding partners of the
Journey, and is in charge of the
geology hall and programs at the
museum. Sally Shelton, Museum
of Geology associate director,
serves as curator for this area.
The 2013 International Electro/
Information Technology Conference,
sponsored by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) Region 4, will be hosted May
9-11, 2013, on the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology
campus. The conference will focus
on basic and applied research results
in the fields of electrical and
computer engineering, physics,
computer science, industrial
engineering and mathematics.
R.J. Trew, National Science
Foundation director for the
Electrical, Communications, and
Cyber Systems Division located in
Arlington, Va., will deliver the
keynote address on Friday, May 10.
The purpose of the conference is to
provide a forum for students,
researchers and industrial
investigators to exchange ideas and
discuss developments in these
growing fields. Exhibits featuring
the latest electro/information
technology tools and products will
be showcased. Industry researchers
will present abstracts and short
papers related to products in new
and emerging markets such as
robotics and autonomous systems,
multi-agent and intelligent systems,
embedded systems, power systems
and power electronics, consumer
and automotive electronics,
biomedical applications and
telemedicine, nanotechnology,
MEMS, wireless systems, ad hoc and
sensor networks, cyber security,
image and signal processing, data
fusion, big data and data mining,
cloud computing and software
engineering and systems.
Region 4 consists of IEEE members
in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,
Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin and
the Windsor area of Ontario, Canada.
Typically, these conferences draw
150-200 participates. It will also
facilitate booths representing
company products and services.
Registration and corporate
sponsorships are available at
various patron levels listed on
http://eit-conference.org/eit2013/.
6
Battle-hardened unmanned
ground vehicle gifted to Mines lab
The South Dakota School of Mines
& Technology has added a major
military-grade unmanned ground
vehicle (UGV) to its rapidly-expanding
autonomous robotics
program, thanks to a donation
from Utah State University (USU).
Developed by USU and employed
in a variety of capacities, from
military scout missions to remote
surveillance and sensor
deployment, autonomous
unmanned ground vehicles are a
critical component of U.S. Army
infra-structure. The donation was
given to the electrical and
computer engi n e e r ing
department controls lab, where it
will be housed, under the direction
of Charles Tolle, Ph.D., professor
of the Department of Electrical
and Computer Engineering and a
USU alumnus.
Built in the late 1990s, the UGV
was originally designed for scout
work within military field
operations. However, with the
emergence of improvised
explosive devices (IEDs)
throughout field operations, the
vehicle was repurposed by the
military and reengineered by USU
to work with smaller inspection
vehicles that detect IEDs at check
points and U.S. government
installations and patrol parking
areas for bombs. Today, unmanned
ground vehicles sport a variety of
applications, including
transporting, surveying, deploying
and refueling other robots;
detecting mines; surveying forest
fires; carrying food and provisions
to military encampments; and
autonomous farming operations.
Donated by USU after its Center
of Excellence closed, the $250,000
unmanned ground vehicle, named
the T2e, boasts USU’s “smart
wheels” technology, in which
processors independently control
both the speed and direction of
each wheel. When applied to the
T2e, the result is an omni-directional
vehicle. Tolle explains
the vehicle’s impressive
capabilities, “With this robot’s
wheels and their ability to turn
360 degrees, it can literally slide
left or spin on a dime.”
The vehicle’s guidance system
boasts noteworthy credentials of
its own. Far more advanced than
most of the robots in the field
today, the system shifts focus from
simply arriving at a destination,
by following a highly specified
path along its journey, to driving
within a corridor. In other words,
the vehicle drives in its own lane
rather than requiring a set of
waypoints along its path.
A member of USU’s Omni-
Direction Inspection System family
of unmanned ground vehicles,
this donation offers Mines
professors and students alike
access to a top-of-the-line, field-tested
UGV for advanced
autonomous guidance and
cooperative robot research.
The UGV is part of a larger
equipment donation that includes
spare parts and an autonomous
wheel chair from USU’s Center for
Self-Organizing and Intelligent
Systems, part of its electrical and
computer engi n e e r ing
department.
Sharpened by a $2,000 donation from Raven Industries along with
full access to its GPS base station in Rapid City, the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology Robotics Team will get a chance to slice
through the competition at this year’s Intelligent Ground Vehicle
Competition, slated for the summer of 2013.
The cutting-edge of engineering education, this competition taps
the latest technologies impacting industrial development, challenging
students to push their software engineering, mechanical and electrical
expertise to the max as they test their mettle against elite universities
across the country.
An industry leader in South Dakota for more than 50 years, the Sioux
Falls-based Raven Industries opened a branch office in Rapid City this
past winter, partnering with the School of Mines to recruit students
and foster research collaborations with faculty in mechanical, electrical
and computer engineering and computer science. The office is housed
on campus in the Black Hills Business Development Center.
Raven Industries’ donation
gives Robotics Team an edge
As ecological and climactic
concerns move to the forefront
of public consciousness, South
Dakota School of Mines &
Technology associate professor
Lew Christopher’s tome
Integrated Forest Biorefineries:
Challenges and Opportunities
offers a prescient perspective,
the first of its kind to provide a
critical overview of the topic
within a social, economic and
environmental framework.
Aimed at an expansive business
and scientific community,
ranging from scientists and
academics to policymakers and
industry leaders, the reference
book focuses on the
Mines professor’s new book
forecasts the future of fuel
transformation of pulp and paper
mills into integrated forest
biorefineries (IFBRs) that would
require the development of
advanced bio-based processes
to benefit industry and society.
Christopher, Ph.D., serves as the
book’s editor.
Integrated Forest Biorefineries:
Challenges and Opportunities is
published by the Royal Society
of Chemistry. Additional details
and purchase information may
be found at the publisher’s
website at rsc.org/Shop/books/
or through other bookstores.
From left are Ian Carlson, Caleb Jamison, Jim Slichter, Matt Richard, Lon Stroschein, Dan Rykhus,
Matt Burkhart, Anthony Schmidt
7
Donation drives Formula team
closer to the finish line
With heart-pounding acceleration and
exhilarating hairpin turns, the South Dakota
School of Mines & Technology Formula
Hardrocker Racing team offers students an
adrenaline-fueled experience they won’t soon
forget. And now, thanks to A2L Technologies,
Inc.’s, recent $10,000 donation toward the
purchase of a trailer, the team can take its car
to compete in the 2013 Formula Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) competition and
to other events, including recruiting trips.
Designed and built by a team of 15 to 20 Mines
students each year, these cars prove themselves
against those from more than 100 universities
all over the world, from Purdue to the University
of Stuttgart, Germany.
But the price of competition is high. The team
must use a personal truck to haul a trailer each
time they wish to compete. Currently, the
team is seeking the donation of a truck to help
defray costs. Donations such as A2L’s allow
the team to funnel high cost savings into high
performance, giving it an edge over the
competition as it sprints down the track.
This spring, the team will test its car at Ford’s
famed wind tunnel in Allen Park, Mich., for
the third year in a row at $20,000 per eight-hour
session, a cost absorbed by Ford.
The A2L trailer and truck that will help transport
the race car to Ford’s wind tunnel will be used
not only by the Mines Formula team but also
other student vehicle teams from the Center
of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing
and Production (CAMP). Among the many
teams are the Human Powered Vehicle,
Supermileage car and Baja. The teams also
haul their vehicles to competitions, public
relations and community service events.
A2L Technologies, Inc. is an environmental
consulting, engineering and remediation
company in Thonotosassa, Fla.
Continued from page 1
own Formula Hardrocker Racing SAE team.
Some of those Mines students are
participating in the biometric pilot program.
“Nexus needed a place that was going to
be technologically advanced enough to
handle this and with a student population
savvy enough. We hope they will give us
some feedback on how to make this a better
product and to find a better way to help
market it. This is an innovative university,
and we really need to show the world,” said
Al Maas, Nexus USA’s President.
“The convenience factor is huge. It’s safe,
and I believe it’s going to accelerate fast.
We’re in tune with the technology age. Look
at how the fax went to email and then to
our cell phones. Within three years we’ve
gone from making calls to taking care of
everything we need in our lives,” Maas said.
Learn more about the Biocryptology® pilot
program at www.nexussmartpay.com.
View our digital story.
The SDSM&T Formula Hardrocker Racing team was among other CAMP teams showing off their designs to the
public at the Rushmore Mall recently. Other CAMP projects included those by the aero design, alternative fuel vehicle,
chemical engineering car, concrete canoe, gaming development, HAM radio, human-powered vehicle, mini Baja,
robotics, steel bridge, supermileage SAE and unmanned aerial vehicle teams.
Patrick Ealy, a recent atmospheric sciences
graduate, received national attention at the
annual American Indian Science and
Engineering Society (AISES) conference held
during the fall in Anchorage, Alaska.
Ealy, from Kinmundy, Ill., placed second in
the undergraduate section of the conference
and was the recipient of $400 and a new
iPad for his oral presentation entitled
“Comparative Analysis of Atmospheric
Thermal Inversion Conditions Reported by
South Dakota WRAN Network.”
Ealy earned a bachelor of science in
interdisciplinary sciences, with an
atmospheric sciences specialization, during
the fall 2012 semester. He started the first
SDSM&T Weather Club in spring 2011. Of
Cherokee heritage, Ealy was also a member
of the SDSM&T award winning AISES chapter.
AISES is a national, not-for-profit organization
which nurtures building of community by
bridging science and technology with
traditional Native American values.
Student receives
national award at
AISES conference
8
The South Dakota School of Mines &
Technology has been granted authority to
begin offering a new Ph.D. degree program
next fall. With the South Dakota Board of
Regents approval all that remains to make the
degree a reality is to secure funding for the
program from the 2013 legislature.
A $1.9 million request from the regents to
fund the program has been recommended to
lawmakers by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.
“Now it becomes our job to convince South
Dakota lawmakers that this is a very important
step forward for the state’s investment in
research, technology transfer, and long-term
economic development,” said Regents
President Kathryn Johnson.
Both the School of Mines and the University
of South Dakota received authority to grant
the degree. It is estimated the program would
launch initially with 12 students enrolled in
fall 2013, growing to 48 five years later.
The doctoral degree will support the state’s
significant investment in the Sanford
Underground Research Facility at the former
Homestake Gold Mine. Regents’ officials said
the degree will increase South Dakota’s
national and international reputation in
physics, and make its physics faculty more
competitive for external grant funding because
of the availability of doctoral students and
post-doctoral researchers.
South Dakota and Vermont are the only two
states without a doctoral program in physics.
New Ph.D. degree in physics to
be offered contingent on funding
The South Dakota Board of Regents has authorized a new bachelor’s degree in applied
biological sciences at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. The new applied
biological science degree program seeks to prepare students for careers based in South
Dakota or for graduate study by training them in the fields of biology and engineering.
By giving students a strong preparation in chemistry, mathematics, and physics, the new
program will prepare them for careers in biomedical engineering and technology, biotechnology,
bioprocessing, bioenergy, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and patent law.
Regents also approved two new certificate programs for the university: Global Engineering
(9 credit hours) and Occupational Safety (9 credit hours), offering students a pathway to
develop specialized expertise or seek career advancement.
The certificate programs are developed by packaging a small set of courses that allow students
to develop expertise within a focused area of study to address identified market or workforce
development needs.
Applied biological sciences degree, certificates approved
Student organizations
earn recognition
from Regents
Three student organizations from South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology were
recognized by the South Dakota Board of
Regents for their outstanding academic,
community and organizational work.
They are:
Award for Academic Excellence – The
American Society of Civil Engineers student
chapter at School of Mines promotes
professional development by hosting
academic speakers, the biannual Surveying
Conference, and the annual Concrete
Conference. The chapter has also holds
test review sessions to prepare students
to study for the Fundamentals of
Engineering (FE) exam.
Community Service Award – Circle K
International stresses community service,
while developing leaders and promoting
fellowship. Circle K has grown significantly
on the Mines campus, fulfilling about 750
service hours in the past academic year.
The group collects donated food for
Feeding South Dakota and also sponsors
clients from Black Hills Workshop to attend
athletic and other group activities.
Award for Organizational Leadership –
Members of Triangle Fraternity serve in
leadership roles across the Mines campus,
including the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers, the M Week
Committee, Inter-Fraternity Council,
Student Ambassadors, Student Senate and
the Leadership Development Team.
Triangle’s community service projects
include the Red Ribbon Parade, highway
clean-up and Habitat for Humanity.
The Museum of Geology at the South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology has
partnered with the Journey Museum to
offer a class entitled “Geology of the Black
Hills” for high school students and adults.
Alvis Lisenbee, Ph.D., School of Mines
professor emeritus of geology, is teaching
a five-session introductory view of
geological features of the Black Hills region,
including Devil’s Tower, the Harney Peak
granite and pegmatites, gold deposits,
caves and fossils. The class, which began
in January, also includes an introduction
to the general geologic principles used to
study the evolution of the Earth.
Museums collaborate
to offer Geology of the
Black Hills class
9
Representatives from the South
Dakota School of Mines &
Technology’s Youth Programs
were interviewed by the U.S.
Department of Education (DOE)
in December as part of a research
study which, in part, examined
the impact of Mines programs
on the Red Cloud Indian School.
During the summer of 2012
alone, 45 Red Cloud Middle
School students attended the
university’s Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM)
programs. Between the 21st
Century grant and other Red
Cloud Indian School grants and
Mines scholarships, more than
$32,000 was awarded to help
those students attend Mines’
summer camps and classes.
The DOE is studying the Red
Cloud Indian School’s 21st
Century Community Learning
Center programming as one of
only 15 after-school programs
chosen from across the country.
The DOE was at the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation school to
complete research on how it is
partnering with the School of
Mines, which offers STEM
education through a variety of
programs, including summer
camps and classes for youth.
Information provided by the
School of Mines will be used in
the study and also in four
national “Lessons Learned
Guide” that will help similar
programs nationwide.
STEM
programs
impact
reservations
Eight teams of students ages 9-14 competed head-to-head with
robots made out of Legos in the First Lego League contest held at
the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in December. The
winning team advances to the state competition in hopes of
ultimately competing in the world finals.
Students compete with
robotic Legos
The John T. Vucurevich
Foundation has gifted $10,000
to the Youth Programs office at
the South Dakota School of
Mines & Technology to be used
for scholarships for students
who may not otherwise be able
to participate in a science and
engineering camp in the
summer of 2013.
Summer camps are designed to
engage students in STEM topics,
majors and careers.
2013 camp dates are:
June 9-14: Geology Rocks!
Youth Geology Field Camp in
the Black Hills
June 23-28: Mining and
Explosives Engineering
Institute
June 23-28: Fossils: The Path
of the Paleontologist
June 23-28: Earthwise: Shape
the World with Civil and
Environmental Engineers
July 7-12: Power Camp:
Electronics and Computers in
Your Hands
July 7-12: ASM Materials,
Metallurgy, and Forensics
Engineering Institute
July 21-26: Robotics Camp
July 21-26: Chemical and
Biological Engineering
Institute
Vucurevich
Foundation
donates
$10,000
Students awarded Power & Energy Society scholarships
Eight Mines students were awarded Power & Energy Society scholarships
through the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
The scholarships were issued through the IEEE Power Engineering
Society Scholarship Plus Program and ranged from $2,000 to $3,000
per student. Mines students were among 228 recipients from 100
universities. The university was among the top 10 in number of awards
received, according to Dr. Kazem Sohraby, Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department head.
Among the first-year recipients were Daniel Friendshuh, a senior from
Buffalo Gap, S.D.; Sean Bestgen, a senior from Whitewood, S.D.; Brandon
Yuill, a senior from Rapid City; Collin Eddy, a junior from Phoenix;
Zachary Norstedt, a sophomore from Powers Lake, N.D.; and Lance
Baum, a sophomore from Clearwater, Neb.
Underclassmen will be eligible for renewal next year by maintaining
a 3.0 grade point average, securing an internship in the electric power
industry or working on a power-related research project. Senior Jimmy
Higgins, a senior from Rapid City, was awarded the scholarship for a
second academic year. He received an additional $5,000 scholarship
from IEEE through its veteran’s scholarship program for power
engineering students.
10
The room filled quickly, students clustered around tables, notebooks
and pens strewn among design projects and old machinery molds.
The artist Masayuki Nagase was to conduct a workshop in the Center
of Advanced Manufacturing and Production (CAMP) Design Lab on
the School of Mines campus.
Spanning four continents, Nagase’s public art installations transfix
and transcend, enrapturing patrons of all countries, cultures and
generations. For Nagase, public art is a dialogue, an exchange of a
community’s artistic visions and his own. And so, having recently
been selected to sculpt the granite pillars of Main Street Square in
Downtown Rapid City, Nagase decided to meet with local organizations
over the course of a week. The purpose was to both articulate his
artistic translation of the region’s natural beauty, cultural traditions
and historical narrative and hear the community’s own. In short,
Nagase was in search of a conversation.
The topic: defying expectations.
After giving students sealed paper bags, he instructed them to close
their eyes, open the bag and feel the object inside, noting their first
impressions – and their evolution.
Austin Norberg, a master’s student in civil engineering, shared his
experience, “It was hard and cold; and at first, it felt smooth, but as it
got into more detail, you could feel the cracks and divots. It’s a smooth
surface that had a lot more to it” – an apt metaphor for Nagase’s art,
and CAMP engineering.
Engineers are often characterized as left-brained and logical, with a
dogged determination to avoid intuitive leaps, to let facts dictate the
process. But at its core, engineering is a creative endeavor, demanding
innovation and daring.
Nagase’s work, too, emerges as a paradox: analytical and intuitive,
definitive and amorphous, permanent and ephemeral.
Dan Dolan, Ph.D., the director of CAMP and a professor of the
Department of Mechanical Engineering, says this dichotomy is why
CAMP reached out to Nagase. “Much of creativity comes from bringing
together normally unconnected domains. When we gain a little
knowledge in something we don’t even know we don’t know, we may
be able to blend things in a way that is different and beneficial.”
Kim Osberg, associate director of CAMP, expounds, “Engineers do not
have to be cold, exact and logical. Sometimes more right-brained or
creative approaches are exactly what is needed to solve the problem.”
And when these worlds collide, the result is breathtaking.
CAMP students possess Nagase’s familiarity with material, melding
form and function so seamlessly that the result feels spontaneous,
sprung into being through necessity alone. The racing car’s sleek lines
convey power before performance ever comes into play.
As the workshop wound down, students began to file out of the room,
handing Nagase their responses scrawled across his questionnaire.
The voices had quieted into silence, but for Nagase, the conversation
had just begun.
View our digital story.
Sculpture and the art of CAMP engineering
P.V. Sundareshwar, Ph.D., state carbon scientist for South Dakota and associate
professor in the atmospheric sciences department at the South Dakota School
of Mines & Technology, has been awarded a fellowship by the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
He is serving as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Diplomacy,
Security and Development track of the Executive Branch. In this position, Dr.
Sundareshwar is a climate change advisor to the Africa Bureau of the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID). He is spending a year in the Washington,
D.C. office, and will make several trips to Africa.
Mines professor receives AAAS fellowship
Masayuki Nagase discusses his exhibit at the Dahl Arts Center. Used with permission of Destination Rapid City in Downtown Rapid City.
About Legacy News
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To submit news or story ideas or to subscribe to the
email distribution list, please contact Fran LeFort,
communications manager, at 394-6082 or at fran.lefort@
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Technology news, visit news.sdsmt.edu/press/.